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Friday, July 17, 2015

Trainwreck - Movie Review

Trainwreck is a comedy feature written by Amy Schumer and directed by Judd Apatow who's previous work includes The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and This is 40. The film stars Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Colin Quinn, John Cena, Dave Atell, Tilda Swinton, LeBron James, Brie Larson, Randall Park, Vanessa Bayer, and Jon Glaser.

The Story:
Amy (Schumer) has been living a commitment free life which has been mostly thanks to her father's (Quin) misguided advice regarding monogamy and how to stay away from it. Focusing on her career as a writer for a men's magazine and maintaining a series of one night stands and arms length relationships has served Amy well, at least until she is sent on an assignment to interview Aaron, a prominent sports doctor who manages to break through her drunken and defiant demeanor.

The Review:
When you bring together a rising star like Amy Schumer and a proven comedic creator like Judd Apatow, you're hoping for some seriously funny movie magic to take place. While this movie is filled with moments of honest to goodness hilarity, there are just as many gags and jokes that fall flat and the running time, which clocks in at just over an hour, actually feels much longer than that. I found myself, on several occasions wondering, and almost hoping, the end would be coming soon which was sad because otherwise, I was genuinely having a good time. One the plus side, the big finale that Schumer has put together more than makes up for the shortcomings of the film and I was left very satisfied with the end result.

One of the big questions you may be asking is what the hell John Cena and LeBron James are doing in the movie and why are they being featured so prominently in the marketing. Well, for starters...marketing. On top of that, both of these guys are actually really funny in their respective roles. Cena plays Steven who is Amy's sexually confused, workout overloaded, and emotionally challenged boyfriend although he is much more invested in the relationship than she will ever be. Cena eats up every moment he is in the film and his WWE star power actually translates well although, after a very awkward sex scene, I will never be able to look at him the same again. As for LeBron, he of course plays himself and is Aaron's good friend, confidant, and relationship advisor and, while I don't see him ever making a smooth transition to acting from the NBA, he also is very likable and surprisingly entertaining in this movie. You can really tell these guys had a blast making this movie and that sense of fun really comes through in the finished product.

The Verdict:
Honestly, this was the first time I had ever seen Amy Schumer in anything and it's easy to see what all the hype is about. Teaming with Apatow to make a movie like Trainwreck was a very smart move. If this is where her feature film career starts, I have no doubt she will be a major player for years to come. If you like to laugh, I definitely recommend seeing this movie although make sure you bring plenty of patience because the movie is a long journey but well worth the trip when it's all said and done.